The Mystery of Time
-John Paul Jackson
The way we lived in the past is already is but many times that doesn’t keep us from spending way too much time thinking about it. However, the thoughts and decisions we make today do impact our future.
v We should spend more time focused on tomorrow.
v That focus is wasted worrying about yesterday
v What is time?
v Time is everything that exists in the past and future. And the slim moment called the present
v Buy more specifically, it’s a dimension
v How did time start?
v Time began when God first began His creating
v Because as soon as something is created, there becomes a past
v There becomes a before and an after of that object’s existence
v God created time. Time is a created “thing.”
v Time has endured two major changes since its creation.
v The first change was when God created the sun and moon for times and seasons
v The sun and moon were created for man’s sake
v Man needed to have a system for measuring time
v All life needed a system for measuring time
v Even though the Tree of Life allowed Adam and Eve to live forever, time needed measurement.
v It helped to prepare Adam and Eve for God’s walks with them “in the cool of the day.”
v Time changed again when Adam and Eve sinned
v When Adam and Eve disobeyed God for the first time, they sinned
v One of the consequences of that sin was that they no longer had access to the Tree of Life
v Without access to the Tree of Life, man was no longer immortal
v Sin entered this created thing called “time” for the first time (at least in fleshly form)
v Sin causes deteriorations. So for the first time, Adam and Eve experienced deterioration
v Deterioration in their bodies and their soul
v Once having eaten from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, Adam and Eve looked at time differently
o They remembered the past differently. They experienced regret. Sadness. Anger at one another. Guilt.
o They begin spending way too much time focused on a past they couldn’t change and not near enough time preparing for a future they could change. It is not always a precise walk.
Does God know the future?
Many believe He does, but how strong is that belief? If we truly believed that, we might live our life a lot differently. We might pray differently. We might start hoping less and believing more.
How does God fit into time? Or does he?
What we typically think…
v God is on “the sidelines of time” waiting to enter the game when we need Him most
v Or, that He’s walking along with us in time, experiencing each day with us as it happens.
v God is outside of time
v Time exists within God
v Remember the Mystery of Good and Evil? What are the attributes of deity?
v God can’t be God and walk with us in time
v What the Bible tells us…
v God does not exist inside of time
v God is outside of time
v Time exists within God
v God is walking with Abraham, the Apostle Paul and your great grandson all at the same moment
v Time exists within
Dream
— This person-a boy, girl, adult who is back in school taking a test in the dream.
Interpretation
Dreams of being back in school speak to an issue you’re currently experiencing, or soon will, where you have to learn through trial or education something you should’ve learned earlier. In this dream, the dreamer is taking a test that he’s not prepared for. Didn’t even have a pencil! This is a warning dream that he is soon to experience a situation (a test) that he’s currently not ready for. So, in God’s great love for this dreamer, he’s warning him to be ready and prepare. You have a unique purpose that only you can fulfill. God, who knows your future, including every mistake you’ll ever make, still wants you to fulfill that purpose. And He will do whatever it takes to help you reach it. Even telling you about the future.